Another son joined the army national guard (which is scary for a mom).

But, I see it like this....

It's true, there are work goals I didn't meet, but I took important steps toward them. Steps I didn't know about so I couldn't have made them my goals. But now I know. And I am proud of those steps.

The scary health issues, we have good doctors, we do our best to stay informed and pro-active. We know more about preventing future problems and together we handle it. Together, thankful for that.

The dangerous people did cause harm. Some harm we could see, other harm we could not see. Those people through legal action and karma will be learning a lesson. Together are taking care of each other ~ together, thankful for that.

One son moved away. He may or may not stay there. My sister and her family is there and that is a great safety net and support for him as he finds a new job and enjoys the new surroundings. And what we really want for our children, what everyone really wants, is for them to find their own way and to be happy.

and, the army national guard. He loves it. He loves the physical and mental challenge and he has found a path that he really likes. I am very proud of the man he has become, and I have full faith that he will continue to bring goodness to the world.

2012, was challenging. But I don't blame you, 2012. You made us stronger in way too many ways. You, 2012 tested us. And not all the challenges end today, some we carry forward, but we also carry forward the knowledge that we are pretty resilient, together.

Monday, November 26, 2012

I make stuff.I don't always know if what I do makes sense together. Other people (darn those 'others') seem to know exactly what their style is. The others know exactly what they are doing and how it will blend seamlessly. Others find their way, they know which road to choose, they march confidently toward their goals. The others are hard to keep up with!I feel like I do the backstroke. I don't know where I am going, can't see the edge of the pool, but I keep going. Sometimes, a lot of times, I may be swimming in circles. I follow my muse.

My muse is immature, she runs, she hides, she pouts, and she mopes around kicking dirt. She tells salty jokes, she leads me down dead ends and laughs when I trip and fall. She also shows me the stars, and the sea. She shows me the beauty in nature and art and then I can suddenly see a peek of beauty here, in my work. She is quite clever at that. I see connections I didn't see, I see myself in my work, oh..

This weekend, a friend and I went to a small-business event, which seemed like a good idea to buy from multiple small businesses at once. Wrong.This is what we found...~1. a woman who sells a wrap to reduce cellulite by inches, all I have to do is wrap myself in magic cloth and drink half my weight in water.. HALF MY WEIGHT IN WATER! Yeah, the cellulite will bloat nice and smooth!~2. a woman who sells creams for aging skin, tea for youthful energy and all other kinds of herbs to make middle age women young and soft and newborn like.~3. a woman who sells cleansing juices to promote, you guessed it - youthfulness, wellness and energy.~ 4. I could book a booth for a spray tan (because you know I am not the right color-who is?)~5. Then there was a mother-daughter massage cream team, they were selling creams that could help with yep, low energy, stress, AGING! She put some on my hand, it had a strong scent, I didn't feel more energetic, but as I kept smelling it- lemony, familiar, it SMELLED EXACTLY LIKE LEMON PLEDGE! I energetically wanted to find a rest room to wash my hands!Apparently, the vendors were told~ "tired, wrinkly, stressed out, middle aged woman are coming and their colons need cleansing-stat!" Women selling women stuff to fix themselves.Oh, there was a few tables of jewelry, and tote bags, and handmade jackets, but mostly the message was "Happy Holidays, You aren't good enough!"Ahha!I see why I was there!!!I see my mission, I see my common thread....~~From the bathroom, (don't judge me) I put quotes, words of wisdom up for inspiration in the picture over the toilet so that my sons & their friends saw those wise words when they were standing there ;) (hey, my bathroom-wisdom was photographed by teens and used in year books! :) ~~ my whole-school visits, with the message-- everyone is an artist, I hear you, I see your work, it means something! We are a community of creative thinkers!!~~my middle grade novel about a girl in a large family of boys = belonging, being heard.~~my picture book art I am creating in a more kid-accessible style.and now.... my Silver Jewelry, custom made, with text! Because I want women to wear their message of WRITE, CREATE, BELIEVE, FAITH, LOVE, Leap and the net will appear, whimsy, serendipity, Imagination is everything. I want women no matter what the outside package, to FEEL worthy, to remember their worth, to remind the other women in their tribe that we are all pretty amazing. Smart, wise, loving silver worn and gifted to others. Positive messages of growth and acceptance.

It is a gift to see connections.I received a great gift.Clarity for my mission.YOU ARE PERFECT! YOU ARE SMART! YOU ARE IMPORTANT! and you can keep every little cellulite and wrinkle, and you are still fine with me! Feel joyful! Happy Creative Holidays!

(You can see my jewelry at www.SilverFreckles.com and maybe a peek in the scroll there on the right column of this page, if I did that right! ; )ps... cyber monday 20% off with the coupon code: awesome (because you are! :)

Monday, November 5, 2012

No, I am not old... town halls are old! All town records were typed on metal in case the town hall burned down! Pretty sure they updated this process by now ; )

When I left that job they gave me a certificate for

DOG LICENSE TECHNICIAN with a the town seal : )

My next job was working at JCP in the fabric department. I didn't know how to sew, and I learned so much about patterns, designing, and color. It opened up a whole world of project possibilities for me.

I designed baby crib sets, wall art, and stuffed teddy bears.

Then they promoted me to management, which came with the cool job of staying late after work and printing the rack signs... which looked like this:

I printed the signs on all the racks that said SALE 20% OFF

Now, I find myself printing on silver jewelry! This is my newest design - I made a silver key modeled after one of my keys in my antique keys collection.

As much as things change, sometimes it feels a bit like they stay the same.

Friday, November 2, 2012

I had hoped to have Silver Freckles full of treasures by October. But I had a few ideas that I wanted to work on for the holiday season and to spice things up! I created a cute key with my silver! I love it!
I made two and I have been test-driving one for a few days. I love it.
The back is smooth and shiny and the front has a key-word stamped into it. This little beauty is LOVE because isn't that the key to everything!

So if you are interested, I will create some custom keys and will place these newly made keys up on

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

For the next few days I am uploading photos onto www.SilverFreckles.com : )
Today I uploaded finished pieces of silver, tomorrow I am uploading some of the custom order choices.
Then, the paintings......
I am going to keep the shop open through January. Then closing it until spring!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The last month was not filled with blogging, but it was filled with a lot of everything else.

I had a wonderful time at the Eric Carle Museum with Jeannine (Peter for a little while) and Ellen. ~ Jeannine and Ellen ooze talent! Then we worked at the cafe, and I revised a picture book that I think will be fun to illustrate. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book art had some of Eric Carle's non-book art, and I LOVED the exhibit of the art of Ezra Jack Keats which was just fabulous!

I couldn't go to a retreat in Maine that I absolutely adore because of absolutely annoying asthma. But, I saw that a workshop was being given very nearby (like 3 miles from my studio!) and miracle of miracles they had a cancellation! Meant to be!
So I went to a wonderfully informative Master Class on Plot by Cheryl Klein (who is a genius btw). Not only did I learn how/what I needed to fix in my middle grade story, but I can see how I can map out the scenes and make it a much stronger manuscript. And surprise surprise I found a few things that I actually did quite right!

Also, finished off all the started pieces of jewelry. I am thrilled with how they came out and I am going to upload and discount my stock. I also created an order form for custom pieces that I think will streamline that process. Fingers crossed!
Will let you know when SilverFreckles.com is all ready to go!

I had finished a story board for my Z picture book. But now, it is back in revision, so that will need a bit of tweaking before it can become a dummy. Writing AND illustrating means I write, draw, then rewrite and redraw.... hopefully almost finished with that cycle now!

A few months ago I made a list of creative work ideas, and what my goals are, and the Pros and Cons for each thing. Yesterday, I sat with that list and realized that the Cons were really issues I needed to solve more than actual cons that could not be overcome.
Some of those issues require--- HELP from others--- Imagine that, asking help when I need it.
An Ahha moment!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Today there is a lot of regular life stuff and work stuff to do, but there is also GETTING READY TO GO stuff to do! Tomorrow I drive to Maine, with art and writing in hand to share.

To share, to learn, to reflect.

I can't sing enough praises of getting away and focusing on your work, your art, your dreams. The long drive clears the cobwebs away and I know I will arrive a little more tired and a lot more ready to just BE.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

First I painted this Lilac painting. I love this palette. Love the purples, blues and greens. I have loved this palette since I was little.

Do you know I remember these colors on a sofa slipcover when I was a little girl. I remember noticing it and loving it. I was probably only FIVE!

I am going to submit this to a juried art show. Since they accept two submissions, I had to come up with something else too.

After the Lilacs lose their blooms, I look forward to the purple and blues of the summer hydrangea!

So, that seemed a perfect companion!

Before I could even think of a painting, I had to do some warm-ups!

A talented artist Amy Guglielmo (Amy is so talented: http://www.touchtheart.com/) painted lady sap buckets and gave me a few buckets, so these were the warm-ups!

How cute are these?

I love these Summer Ladies!

oh, and there was this little warm up project also..... I just had to paint this tote!

If you want to see it BEFORE, you will have to go to FLYING PIG BOOKSTORE facebook page

(I forgot to take a before pic ; )

Oh and I painted this GARDEN! Which I also love! Wheww, It has been a busy 4 days!

Oh, and for the non-artists reader-folk. One painting took.... 18 different brushes! No one tells you that! And while I paint, I admit, each brush I pick up I say to myself, "oh this is my favorite brush." Which cracked me up when I realized I have 18 favorites! : )

I am going to finish the work on the easel tomorrow (Wednesday) and then get the cupboard I painted out of the garage and into the house! I will take a picture when it is all settled in : )

Croutons have to go in when you eat them, if you want them or they will get soft.

I really pack the lettuce. Now I just put the lids on and put them in the frig. The cold in the frig seals them even tighter! When you are ready to eat, you just turn your jar upside down and shake so the dressing can be distributed. We eat right out of the jar, but you can pour it into a bowl.

I made 12 jars on a Monday and by Thursday my (4) sons (probably only 3 of them) ate 11 jars of salad and we no longer have a veggie drawer in the frig. full of veggies going bad!!!

Everything in the jar, even cut tomatoes are still fresh after 7 days!!!

If it is as easy to eat as a cookie ~ we can eat a salad!

Our family is all grown-ish and everyone is coming and going and when they stop by they are always looking for food, and I am trying to lose weight, get healthy and stronger and I just love having these all lined up in the frig ready to go.. nothing is mushy, nothing being wasted.

Now I have to go revise the last chapters of my middle grade novel. You go make some salads. You will thank me later!

Monday, June 18, 2012

I am dangerous on Craigslist. I am cursed with the ability to see POTENTIAL and C-list is nothing but potential.

First, I found the drafting table. Antique, oak, and I adore it. I love that it started in a college art dept. in the 60's and when they threw it away, it was saved by a grad student, he went on to become an architect and now he is moving across country so he wanted to get rid of it.

We took it apart, barely fitting it the jeep. And then, reassembled, some wood oil and done.

I work a lot on wobbly folding tables. I love drawing at this drafting table, sturdy, no hunching.

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

Then, I saw the potential of THIS cabinet!

My allergist said to not keep books in the bedroom, too dusty. We had about a million books in our bedroom. So I boxed them up (and yes, lots of dust) and put some in the office, some in the family room.

Then, I saw this cabinet. I see it painted cream and the inside deep blue and lots of room for books. I think this will be in our room for new books a To-Be-Read cabinet. Full of potential and they will be safe from dust behind the glass door.

I made a vow to stay off craigslist. I have work to do, and a cabinet to paint, and I don't need any other projects. Then, I found these! $25. each! OH the potential here is huge.

These were built into the wall of a shop, it was sold to a couple who is making sails for sailboats, and they don't need this kind of shelving.

I sent the pics below to our contractor friend with the idea that they would be perfect installed in our family room. He could see the potential too! Since I knew I wasn't going to be able to install them myself, his okey dokey was all I needed.

I gave the u-haul manager the dimensions and we rented a U-Haul van and headed 1 1/2 hrs to pick them up. Only, they measured the inside of the van, not the opening. Holey Canoly.

We ended up taking one apart, with the help of hammers and crow bars. But finally got it packed in the van.

So we have these taking up half the garage. More potential.

This morning, I opened my writing file and dove back into chapter 7. It has potential, and I have to fix it and bring it to it's best self, without disassembling, oiling it, painting it, or getting a contractor.

Sometimes I don't feel up to the task. And when I reread what I have and think it's not good enough and I want to quit, I just can't seem to walk away from the potential.

{as always, if you add yourself to my follow list, I will follow you back!}

Monday, June 11, 2012

I found this idea here:
http://karenknichols.blogspot.ca/2012/02/mason-jar-salads.html

For me, this is like cooking!
Every day I go to my studio after lunch. I do computer stuff in the morning, and house stuff and dog stuff and then I have lunch and leave.
Part of the reason I go AFTER lunch is because I never know what to have for lunch. I don't like fussing over it. So I end up with PB&J a lot.
When I saw the salad in the jar, all done in advance, that is my new thing! DONE IN ADVANCE!

I also saw a bunch of recipes for doing a bunch of crock pot prep in advance and then just dumping it all in the day of!